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Cultural Immersion: Possum Skin Cloak

Speaking in Colour Pty Ltd

Cultural Immersion: Possum Skin Cloak is a wellbeing program designed to engage students in learning about the cultural significance and traditional craft of Possum Skin Cloaks to fosters connection, respect, and revitalisation of Aboriginal cultural practices.

  • NSW

Pricing: Paid

Origin: Developed in Australia for Australian schooling contexts

Affiliations: NESA accredited

Product type: Program; Professional learning

Contact details

Speaking in Colour Pty Ltd
ABN: 90 614 399 825

https://www.speakingincolour.com.au/training-and-workshops/course/possum-skin-cloak-workshop-for-students

contact@speakingincolour.com.au

Focus areas

  • Positive relationships

  • Belonging and inclusion

  • Self-regulation and engagement

Curriculum alignment

  • Humanities and Social Science

  • The Arts

Prospective users

Audience: Whole school universal (Tier 1)

Communities: First Nations

Context: School or centre-based, Outside School Hours Care (OSHC), Home-schooling

Main beneficiaries: Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6, Year 7, Year 8, Year 9, Year 10, Year 11

Delivery style: Delivered by program staff

Aims & approach

The program is designed for primary and secondary school students (Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal), ideal for teachers seeking to integrate Aboriginal culture into their curriculum.

It aims to enhance cultural awareness and creative skills, empower teachers with tools to embed Aboriginal perspectives, and ultimately showcase student work in a community exhibition.

The program spans across 10 weeks, with weekly artist-led sessions. Students begin by creating an armband, then progress to making their own Possum Skin Cloak, learning the cultural significance and techniques throughout the process. Kits for schools are available.

It also includes NESA accredited training for educators to support ongoing integration of Aboriginal perspectives.

All that is required is space for hands-on sessions. The program includes materials (Possum Skin Cloak, educational kit, etc.) and guidance from an artist-in-residence. The program culminates in a yearly exhibition at a regional gallery or museum, where students' completed artworks are displayed.

This is a 10 week engagement program, provided on request throughout the Hunter region and Newcastle/Lake Maquarie areas. Over 80 programs in the region with 80 programs involving over 5000 youth and 820 Aboriginal adults have now being exhibited in annual art exhibitions.

Implementation support

  • Access to professional facilitator, instructor or mentor

Evidence

The program is developed from the founder's work in community-based action research, or Participatory Action Research (PAR), alongside a growing evidence base on community-based projects using collaboration and art to foster wellbeing and connection. These programs support the cultural determinates of health, not only for the direct participants, but also for the families whom they discuss and share their learnings with. The approach is also informed by evidence such as:

  • Salom. A, 2015, Weaving potential space and acculturation: Art therapy at the museum.
    DUXBURY, N and Campbell, H 2011, Developing and Revitalizing Rural Communities through Arts and Culture (View of Developing and Revitalizing Rural Communities through Arts and Culture)
  • Verbunt, E., Luke, J., Paradies, Y. et al. Cultural determinants of health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people - a narrative overview of reviews. Int J Equity Health 20, 181 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-021-01514-2

The impact of the program is further supported by positive outcomes in schools that have participated, as shown in survey results and feedback from students and educators, and as observed by program facilitators.